Miami Police Major Delrish Moss addresses the audience at a special Biscayne Bay Kiwanis luncheon honoring the 32-year veteran of the Miami Police Department for his service to the community. Moss, 51, has been named chief of the Ferguson, Missouri, police department. Speakers at the luncheon included State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and Miami Police Chief Rodolfo Llanes. DEREK COLEPhoto provided to the Miami Herald

Miami Police Major Delrish Moss addresses the audience at a special Biscayne Bay Kiwanis luncheon honoring the 32-year veteran of the Miami Police Department for his service to the community. Moss, 51, has been named chief of the Ferguson, Missouri, police department. Speakers at the luncheon included State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and Miami Police Chief Rodolfo Llanes. DEREK COLEPhoto provided to the Miami Herald

Crime Watch: We’ll work with cities to provide crime prevention tools

Thank you readers for the many emails I received regarding our article about implementing Neighborhood Watch. I appreciate your comments, especially from those of you who already have the program in your neighborhoods and feel it has helped reduce crime.

For those who live in municipalities without our program, I say speak to your police chief or elected officials and we will be happy to work with them. Unfortunately, not all departments have the staffing but we can still assist in the implementation by providing crime prevention materials.

From my mailbox:

▪ Dear Carmen, I have been a crime watcher for over 10 years and when we started burglaries were really high and everyone was ready to sell their houses. You came to our meeting with a resource officer (don’t remember his name) but things changed immediately and we were at peace. Thank you. — Rob, Perrine

▪ Hi Carmen great spread on Neighborhood Watch, wish every police department would follow your guidelines and implement the program. It’s a fact that neighbors working with police can control crime activities, but most important you need to pick up the phone and let them know. As you said at our first meeting “Police are not mentalists.” Unless you tell them, they won’t know. Again thanks, I sent the article to my brother in New Haven. — Maurice, Miami

▪ Dear Ms. Caldwell, I currently handle several Crime Watch groups in my department, and your article was so encouraging that I would like to follow your guidelines. We are a small city and not much crime but community relationships are so important that I know your program will be an asset to our city. — Lowell, Michigan

Now here is an email I received regarding a scam:

▪ Is there any way to stop those annoying phone calls from someone (who sounds as if he is from another country) saying he is calling about my Windows. Today, I got such a call and the person said they were getting a signal from my computer that there was a problem. I told him I was on the “Do not call” list and not to call me again. He kept interrupting and I hung up. On one previous call I said I didn’t have a computer, and another I said that I had new impact-resistant windows and didn’t need any windows. Of course, that didn’t help. Those calls still come. Your column in the Neighbors is always very interesting and helpful. Thank you.

My response: The phones they use are fake phones and no way to trace. Just hang up.

Carmen Caldwell is executive director of Citizens’ Crime Watch of Miami-Dade. Send feedback and news for this column to carmen@citizenscrimewatch.org, or call her at 305-470-1670.

Miami Police Major Delrish Moss, second from left, accepts an award from the Biscayne Bay Kiwanis during a special Kiwanis luncheon honoring Moss for this 32 years of community service. Also pictured, from left: Kiwanis Lt. Gov. Will Reich, former president of the Biscayne Bay Kiwanis; Carlos Gaviria, current club president; and attorney Rick Freedman, a former president who emceed the event. DEREK COLEPhoto provided to the Miami Herald

Carmen Gonzalez Caldwell

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